Ken Mehlman Has Made MSNBC Anchor Gay (UPDATED)

But in reporting on the Ken Mehlman story today, MSNBC anchor Peter Alexander Thomas Roberts came out openly discussed his sexual orientation in a discussion with Chris Barron of GOProud:

BARRON: We know that opinion poll after opinion poll shows that the single most important factor in determining how someone feels about gay rights or about gay issues is whether or not they know someone who is gay or lesbian….

ROBERTS: I think for probably most heterosexual Americans this isn’t going to come as a big deal, but I think for millions of gay and lesbian Americans — me included — find this to be kind of a shocking admission, especially when Mehlman’s leadership, in the positions that he held, came at a time when he was part of talks that would have put discrimination into the Constitution. When they were ramping up anti gay rhetoric and now he wants to come out say, ‘hey I’m one of you.’ So how does he go about trying to get millions of gay and lesbian Americans to believe that he is not just a big hypocrite.

Watch it:

That, by the way, is my favorite coming-out style ever. The completely casual, “Oh by the way, you didn’t know? Well anyway” style is so effective. It hits people differently. Especially when they are already out of the closet, like Thomas Roberts.

UPDATE: Originally the Think Progress story said that “Peter Alexander” was the anchor, and that he had “come out.” Unfortunately, the man’s name is Thomas Roberts, and his gayness was already well known! My bad for not being able to correctly identify MSNBC anchors beyond “The Joe and Mika ones” and “The Rachel Maddow one.”

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